Chicago

Families can combine a hike in the woods with a chance to try their hand at the traditional art of tapping maple trees for their sugary sap. No registration is required at these free events, where guides share their  knowledge with visitors, and the collected sap is cooked into maple syrup.

On Saturday, March 20, the focus is interactive for children at Red Oak Nature Center in Batavia with programs at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m.

“We do an introductory explanation indoors and head out into the woods,” says manager Jim Kenney about the Sugar Maple Fest. “We try to get kids to come up and help with the sizing, drilling and tapping. We’ll set the tap, a metal piece (called a) spile, and take the sap back to the nature center to boil it down (for a) taste test of real maple syrup.” 

The Jeannie Tanner Duo plays tonight at Little Bucharest Bistro. Known for her original “j-pop” (jazz pop), the popular Winfield artist will appear from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, at 3661 N. Elston Ave., Chicago.

Tanner, a vocalist, composer and trumpeter, will play piano and sing, with Michael Hesiak on bass, sax and  a little keyboard. Together, they will perform Tanner’s music including songs from her new compact disc, “You Can Kiss Me into Anything,” along with standards and audience favorites.

No cover is charged, and parking is ample. For details, call the bistro at (773) 604-8500 or visit www.continental-cafe.net. For more on Tanner’s shows and recordings, visit www.jeannietanner.com.

From Baroque classics to world premieres, Chicago's Millennium Chamber Players brings its wide range of appeal to Elmhurst for a concert.

Part of the Music at Bethel Concert Series' 11th season, the chamber ensemble will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, at Bethel United Church of Christ, 315 E. St. Charles Road, Elmhurst. Pieces being presented include Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach for baritone and string quartet, Schubert’s Piano Trio in B flat major and Brahms’ Quintet in F minor for piano and string quartet.

Chicago's Millennium Chamber Players. SUBMITTED PHOTO

A small diner near Cicero is making big airwaves. The attraction boils down to simple home cooking done properly, and everything made from scratch, says chef Robert Nava, who owns The Depot American Diner with his wife, Annamarie Fillmore-Nava.

A Christmastime repeat airing of its televised segment on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network meant people lined up outside in the freezing cold, she says, among them fans of the show from as far as Arizona and California who were visiting the Berwyn and Cicero area for the holidays. She says Fieri’s crew spent 25 hours shooting for the 15-minute feature that debuted in August, adding, “It was actually a very wonderful experience.”

The Depot American Diner, which overtly pays visual homage to Edward Hopper’s iconic diner painting, is about to be featured on television’s “Check, Please!” STAFF PHOTOS BY JOHN COX

After 25 years at the helm of St. Charles Singers, founder Jeffrey Hunt is excited to take his choir on fresh musical adventures, plotting a multi-year exploration of Mozart’s choral works, including rarely heard gems. Capping the season in May will be English works guest conducted by renowned British choral composer John Rutter.

Jeffrey Hunt is the artistic director and founder of St. Charles Singers, a professional chamber choir that regularly performs at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church of St. Charles (shown) and St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton. STAFF PHOTO BY MARK BUSCH

Jeannie Tanner of Winfield will release her new compact disc, “You Can Kiss Me into Anything,” valentine’s weekend at Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago.  Her quartet will play from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13.

The Jeannie Tanner Quartet features vocalist, composer and trumpeter Jeannie Tanner; Lisa McQueen on piano; Cory Biggerstaff on upright bass; and Darlene DuFay on drums,  along with some special guests. For reservations, call (312) 642-6805. Andy’s Jazz Club is at 11 E. Hubbard St. (www.andysjazzclub.com).

For details on all her appearances, visit www.jeannietanner.com. Check out our Chit-Chat article on the artist.

Eleven-year-old violinist Serena Harnack of Glen Ellyn will perform the third movement of Mendelssohn’s Concerto in e minor at the Sejong Society Winner’s Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, at Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University, Chicago. Admission is free and no reservations are required. For concert details, visit www.sejongsociety.org.

 A sixth-grader at St. Petronille in Glen Ellyn, Serena has been playing violin for seven years, and studies with Julie Maura at Wheaton College. She has won first place in the Chinese Fine Arts Society Confucius Competition, and recently won first place in the DePaul Concerto Festival, and was a soloist with the Oistrach Symphony.  Serena has received numerous awards from Midwest Young Artists/Walgreens Competition, Musichorale, and Sejong.

Heard on WDCB 90.9FM radio from College of DuPage, in jazz clubs and television shows is the music of composer and singer Jeannie Tanner of Winfield. A decade ago, she went down in history as the first woman trumpeter from the Chicago area to do her own jazz album. Her latest, “Promise Me the Moon,” recently made it to the first round of Grammy consideration.

Jeannie Tanner of Winfield makes musical waves with her jazz pop: an eclectic mix of jazz, R&B and Latin rhythms. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Breaks both good and bad helped launch Frank Catalano into the stratosphere among saxophone players. The Hanover Park native graduated in 1999 from DePaul University with a degree in classical composition. A performer, composer and recording artist, he is also a well-known arranger whose music is licensed for television and film. He has played with artists from Miles Davis and Tony Bennett to Destiny’s Child, and this spring with Seal on Oprah’s show.

Frank Catalano is ranked one of the top saxophonists in the world. SUBMITTED PHOTO